Pubdate: Wed, 22 Dec 1999 Source: Denver Post (CO) Copyright: 1999 The Denver Post Contact: 1560 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202 Fax: (303) 820.1502 Website: http://www.denverpost.com/ Forum: http://www.denverpost.com/voice/voice.htm Author: David Migoya - Denver Post Staff Writer Note: A sidebar item with comparative numbers appears at the end of this article. DRUG RULES LESS STRICT IN DENVER Suburban Police Tougher In Screening New Recruits The restrictions that limit anyone who experimented with drugs -- or even abused them -- from becoming a Denver police officer are less severe than elsewhere in Colorado and the nation. In fact, some suburban departments' rules on past drug use are so strict that people intent on wearing a uniform, badge and gun belt sometimes don't even bother applying, suburban police officials said. Not in Denver, where the Civil Service Commission that hires officers revealed that two of every three newly hired candidates admitted to some kind of drug use. Suburban departments say that number is closer to one of every five of their new hires. That has to change, some city officials said. "I absolutely, strongly feel that we need a department that's considered above the standard, anyone's standard," Denver Councilman Ted Hackworth said. "Right now that's not the case." Candidates to wear the Denver police badge cannot have used drugs for one year before applying to the department, according to commission rules that have existed for about a decade. That means any candidate who admits to using any drug more than a year ago in any quantity for any period of time - -- is reviewed on a case-by-case basis but isn't automatically disqualified. That's too soon to ensure someone won't go back to previous habits, especially under the stress of patrolling Denver's streets, according to Denver Councilman Ed Thomas, a 22-year veteran of the department who retired in 1993. "No kidding?" Thomas said when told of the one-year rule. "I think those kind of qualifications need to be strengthened. A longer period of time gives them more of an opportunity to be responsible, especially if they have a long history of drug abuse." The rules that govern the selection process for Denver police applicants are under fire because a 40-year-old Denver man intent on becoming an officer has a history of drug use and personal problem that allegedly ended in 1987. While the pattern of drug abuse wouldn't have disqualified Ellis "Max" Johnson II from being considered, it would have given area police officials pause before hiring him. Denver officials refused to hire Johnson four other times since 1994, although it's unclear whether that has any connection to his admitted drug use. Even in Glendale, where Johnson was hired onto the police force in 1997 and washed out just six week into his training program, official wonder why Johnson wasn't passer over, considering his long history of drugs. "I had my own set of question as to how we got him," City Manager Veggo Larsen said. Other departments -- Colorado Springs, Boulder and the Colorado State Patrol, for instance -- prohibit marijuana usage for at least three years before applying to the police force and have a five-year prohibition on harder drugs. In Cleveland, where police officer candidates are allowed to have been convicted of possessing marijuana -- no Colorado police force allows a drug conviction of any kind -- recruits still cannot have used drugs for at least three years, officials there said. And in Arizona, you can't be certified to be a police officer if you've used marijuana more than five times after your 21st birthday. That would have disqualified some of Denver's most recent applicants before they even got in the door. "One year? Yikes!" said Boulder Deputy Police Chief David Hayes. "I don't think there's enough time; that's not enough of a waiting period. It seems that you have to have some time frame where they're not using them to go by. Some people come here, see our restrictions, and leave without ever applying." Johnson, the Denver police recruit attracting all the attention, applied 32 times to 21 departments. On his Denver application, he admitted to using drugs -- some as potent as LSD and crack cocaine -- more than 150 times. More disconcerting to critics, however, is that Johnson flunked police background investigations six times -- including in Denver in 1996. "It's hard to comprehend how he could have failed in 1996 and gotten another chance," Hackworth said Tuesday. Hackworth is among a group of council members who hope to change the criteria by which police recruits are chosen, particularly when it comes to a candidate's history of drug use. "I believe we should expect our officers to live by a higher standard than normal citizens," Hackworth said. "The criteria should also be of a higher standard, at least five years for marijuana usage and 10 years for any other heavier drug use. We're now questioning the process that even allowed Johnson to get on the list at all." It's unclear why Johnson's background disqualified him from joining the Denver department three years ago but not this fall, when he was chosen to enter the police academy. Although commission officials have refused to comment on the matter, commission rules allow unsuccessful candidates to apply repeatedly. For Civil Service Commissioner Chris Olson, who also is Englewood's director of safety services and a 24-year veteran of that department, Denver's criteria for choosing officers are different than even his own department because of the vast pool of people from which they're pulling. "Denver needs to hire a lot more people than the suburban departments, so with a larger pool, it's more likely the percentage of those who recently used drugs is higher," Olson said. But Olson agrees that the standards for previous drug usage for a Denver officer should be reflective of surrounding departments, including his own. In Englewood, a candidate would be disqualified if they had used drugs within the last five years, Olson said. "There's really no department that has zero tolerance; it's just impossible," Olson said. "While I do believe Denver's standards should change, we're having a hard enough time filling positions there." Englewood was one of the agencies to which Johnson applied in 1995, when Olson was deputy director of the department. Johnson was booted from further consideration after he failed to pass a background investigation. Olson refused to discuss any details of Johnson's background, saying he was not part of the Englewood selection process that terminated Johnson from further consideration. COMPARING DRUG POLICIES Drug policies for candidates at various law-enforcement agencies: DENVER: Cannot have used drugs for one year before applying. No restriction on type or quantity of drug, or how long it was used. Candidates who admit to earlier drug use are reviewed case-by-case. COLORADO SPRINGS, BOULDER, COLORADO STATE PATROL: Prohibit marijuana usage for at least three years; a five-year prohibition on harder drugs. CLEVELAND: Recruits cannot have used drugs for at least three years. ARIZONA: Bans candidates who have used marijuana more than five times after their 21st birthday. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart